Various illuminating, marking, and/or signaling electronic devices exist in the safety industry. For example, law enforcement officers use strobes to increase the visibility of their vehicles. Incendiary flares are chemical devices that often mark roads at the scene of an accident or road closures. Various illuminating devices are also used on cones, barricades, and buoys as markers. Illuminating devices are also commonly used in sports, such as lights for bicycles and motorcycles.
However, these conventional illumination devices have numerous shortcomings:
Mechanically Frail: The devices generally cannot withstand the rigors of heavy use, such as being run over by large trucks, and the devices cannot withstand sustained exposure to harsh environments or hazardous materials. The failure of such devices eliminates the cost savings that might otherwise have been realized.
Poor Power Management: Most products use non-rechargeable power sources, requiring the user to frequently replace the power source or the product itself, introducing uncertainty as to the readiness of the unit. Many products that use rechargeable power sources manage the stored power inefficiently.
Inadequate Optical Visibility: The devices do not have enough visibility to be used in daylight and even nighttime performance is subpar.
Ergonomics: Some of the devices are too bulky, require alkaline batteries that are a maintenance hassle, and require manual activation.
For example, the use of incendiary flares poses numerous problems: they are a serious fire hazard and cannot be used in areas where dry brush or other hazardous or flammable materials are present; they can become chemically unstable over time; they are difficult and dangerous to deploy as a police officer must stand in the road while igniting the flares, sometimes exposed to high-speed traffic and poor visibility; they are susceptible to moisture as well as temperature changes; they are bulky; they have a limited burn time; they are conventionally manufactured with toxic materials; and they are expensive.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved illumination device and system. The improved device and system should be easy and safe to use for illumination, marking, and signaling in a variety of applications. They should also be durable and cost effective. The present invention addresses such a need.